A New Chapter
by tohru-chan62442
Summary: Jesus answered, "It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him." -John 9:3 After years of despair, hopelessness, and pain, can Jenna start a new, better life?
1. Escape

**Really? ANOTHER story? I'm currently in the middle of two other stories, and I'm going to start a third one? Seriously? *sigh* Oh, overactive imagination. What am I going to do with you?**

**WARNING: LONG AUTHOR'S NOTE IS LOOONG. IF YOU WISH TO SKIP MY BLATHERINGS, I DON'T BLAME YOU. JUST SCROLL DOWN UNTIL THE PRINT STOPS BEING BOLD.**

**So I've had this story in mind for a few years. See, it all started because there was a certain kind of character I hadn't seen on VeggieTales whom I thought would really add some perspective to the whole thing. I think VeggieTales needs a character that isn't sure if they believe in God, who has reason to question their faith. I don't know-it just seemed like it would be something interesting for the characters to deal with and for that one character to explore. That's what it started out as, but it turned into so much more.**

**This is only the first in what is going to be A LOT of stories. It's gonna be like a flippin' TV show, and this is only the pilot. The rough drafts for all the chapters in this story are all done-I finished the last four in ONE NIGHT. I was feeling super inspired that night. So I can tell you that this here pilot is gonna have six chapters total. There's going to be some strong language in the next chapter, but after that it's going to be very sparse if it's there at all. And I'll try not to swear in these AN's, it being VeggieTales and all. Not that I normally do, but I'll try not to swear AT ALL. So there.**

**This is a humanized Veggie story, by the way. Someone told me once there was a term for that, but I don't remember it. This story just wouldn't work otherwise.**

**Also, I realize there isn't a lot explained in this chapter. That's the point. In my last story with a new character, I explained her whole backstory outright. That worked for her, but it doesn't work out so well for this story. So if you're confused, don't worry-you're supposed to be. I'd be more concerned if you weren't at least a little confused-that would mean you were tapping my computer. _**

**I really worked hard on this, so I hope you all at least somewhat like it.**

**Enjoy!**

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><p>Run run run run run. That's all my mind was thinking at the moment. As I heard his footsteps slam onto the pavement behind me, I couldn't think of anything else. I was faster than him, but my duffel bag full of all my stuff was, although not that heavy, still a weight, and he was catching up.<p>

Knowing I had no choice, I flung the bag to the ground as I turned a corner. I heard a satisfying 'skree-thump' and expletive as he tripped over it. I allowed myself a tiny smile, but I couldn't relish in the victory. I had to hide-I couldn't run from him forever.

We had somehow gotten to a suburb, so I ducked into a nearby lawn and hid in the bushes.

I heard his footsteps stomping along the street.

"Jeeeeeee-naaaaa!" He shouted in a sing-song voice. God, was he drunk. "Come out, come out!"

I completely froze myself, my stomach tying itself in more and more knots.

"We can talk this out, baby!" He yelled.

'_Yeah, like we did earlier?_' My cheek was still swollen and all the wind still wasn't back in my stomach.

"Come on, quit hidin' from me! We both know you want me!" I winced at just how loud he could shout-the neighbors would hear for sure.

As if on cue, the door of the house in front of me opened, and light poured out.

"Who in the world is making all that racke-" The man was saying to himself.

Then he spotted me, crouching in his yard, behind his bushes. We were both pretty shocked, to say the least, and the world froze for a second.

"Jenny, you better get the hell out here and face me before you really get hurt!"

I jolted up to run away-he would surely see me with all that light from the house-

But the man grabbed my wrist without a word, dragged me into the house and locked the door.

"What the-Are you kidnapping me or something?" Now I was scared.

"Honey, what was it?"

I turned around to see a woman in her mid-30s, dressed in a pink nightgown and robe with her hair in curlers. Her eyes were currently as big as saucers. She was holding onto the shoulders of a boy who couldn't have been older than five. He was in green striped pajamas and was clinging to a teddy bear. Both were eyeing me questioningly.

"Uh...well..." The man rubbed the back of his neck as he tried to explain. Now that I got a good look at him, he was gangly and thin-I was surprised he could pull me into the house that easily. He was wearing solid green pajamas with (I thought) a silly-looking green nightcap on.

The explanation never came, because at that point, someone pounded so hard on the door I thought it would break open. The woman clung to her son, who looked petrified.

"Jenny, I know you're in here! Open up, NOW!"

I sighed and got up.

"You're not actually going to go to him, are you?" The man asked disbelievingly.

"I have to. If I don't, he may hurt you guys," I whispered so _he _wouldn't hear.

"But-!" The woman tried to object.

"Look, you seem like a really nice family," I looked at all of them. "I don't want you mixed up in this."

With that, I walked to the door, took a deep, shuddering breath, and opened it.

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><p><strong>Yeah, short, I know. This whole story isn't going to be too terribly thrilling (well, the next chapter a little), but it's the pilot. It's always a little boring.<strong>

**See you all in the next chapter? Maybe?**


	2. Making Good Out of Bad

**No reviews? Oh well, it is only the beginning, after all. And it's only been about a week. But a big, huge, ginormous thank you hug to magictoast15 for story alerting and letting me know at least one person is reading this! XD**

**So as I said before, this next part has some strong language in it. Necessary for the story's sake, I'm afraid. So younger readers, I don't wanna hear you repeating these words-they're no good. And don't go blaming me if you get in trouble-I've got enough to deal with without lawsuits and angry parents other than my own. XD And if it's offensive to anyone, I do apologize, but the rest of the story won't have any of that nonsense, so I encourage you to read it anyway.**

**In this paragraph, I'm going to rant, so feel free to skip this one if you wish. The layout of this story (and the many, MANY stories to follow it) is going to be atypical of most stories. I got inspired by something Doug Walker aka Nostalgia Critic said in one of his videos as himself. He said that movies shouldn't have all these clichés and moments without meaning to serve a story. He said to "just show a life." I got really inspired by that, and that's what I'm going to try to make out of this story. It's just going to be this girl's life and what she goes through. This chapter is probably the worst place to put this, since it's the most dramatic of all of them and it seems to come out of nowhere XD but that's only because we(or, at least you readers) didn't witness all of the events leading up to it. Yeah, I'm done.**

**With all that out of the way, this chapter has some exciting stuff happening, and the ball really gets moving. So yeah. Get excited.**

**Enjoy!**

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><p>There he stood. The reason for all this trouble. The beginning and the end of my happiness. The man I found pathetic and useless, and yet was terrified of.<p>

Immediately he grabbed the top of my arm and dragged me back into the house.

"No, we're discussing this outside," I said immediately.

"Like hell we are!" He shouted. "I'll talk to you wherever I damn well please!"

"Hey, hey, there's a kid in here, watch your mouth!" I said automatically. I froze as I realized my mistake.

Just as I feared, he turned towards the kid. "You think I care what this snot-nosed little shit thinks of me?"

"Stop!" I yelled.

Ignoring me, he advanced towards the kid. "What're you gonna do, huh? Fight me? Come on, fight me!"

The kid was shaking in fear and his behind his mother.

"Aw, hiding behind Mommy?" He mocked the boy.

"Enough!" I turned him around. "They have nothing to do with this, stop terrorizing them!"

"Too late, sweetcheeks. You got them involved when you decided to hide here."

I stopped mid-word. He was right, in a way. Ugh, how does he always manage to find my weak spot?

"She didn't do anything," The dad suddenly spoke up. His voice shook a little, but it was firm nonetheless. "I brought her in here."

He smiled a smile that made me sick, then sauntered over to the man. "Oh, big brave guy, huh? Or are you just trying to look cool in front of your lady and kid?"

The dad did nothing but glare at him.

"Well, only one way to find out," He said casually, cracking his knuckles. He wound his arm back, preparing for a punch.

"Jim, no!" The lady screeched.

"DAD!" The boy screamed in terror.

I acted faster than anyone, running over to Jim and pushing him out of the way.

I took the hit on the same cheek he had punched me earlier. As I slid across the floor, I bit back cries of pain and fought back tears.

The woman screamed in pure horror.

"STOP IT! STOP IT!" The boy was practically in tears.

He whipped around. "**DON'T YOU DARE TELL ME WHAT TO DO, YOU SHIT SUCKING LITTLE ASSHOLE!**"

Despite the pain, I was ready to scream back one last warning to stop with the expletives-

The door busted open again, and we all jumped in fear.

"You better get a grip on that pottymouth, son."

Three officers had their guns pointed straight at him.

"What-how did-?" He spluttered.

"Neighbors heard the commotion and called," The officer explained simply as he helped Jim to his feet.

"You're under arrest for breaking and entering, disturbing the peace, and several counts of physical and verbal assault," Another said as he quickly cuffed him.

"But I-**NO!** It was all HER!" He indicated me.

An officer walked over and helped me up as well.

"Somehow, I doubt that. Take him away, boys."

He kept shouting and shouting, and I was grateful when the door closed.

"Now, first and foremost-Miss, you need medical attention."

"No! No-no-no, it's okay." Not only do I hate hospitals, but I could never afford to pay.

"Are you sure? Looks like he did a number on you," The officer said.

"We'll pay," The mother offered.

Like I was going to accept money from them after all I put them through. "No, no, really, it's fine, he's done worse-" I slapped a hand over my mouth as I realized what I just said.

Maybe the officer didn't hear me.

"He's hurt you worse than this before?"

So much for that.

"Uh...yeah..." I said in the smallest voice I could manage.

"Well, we'll certainly need to look into this man. Could you give us his name, please?"

I took a deep breath. "Eddie. Eddie Gonzales."

He wrote that down in his notepad. "Well, we'll call you if we need more information, Miss. Take care."

With that, he left.

There was an awful silence after he left. The mother was the first to speak.

"Sweetie, let me get you some ice for that-"

"No." I said firmly. "I've been way too much trouble for all of you already."

I looked right at the boy, who was still recovering.

"And I could never...ever, apologize enough." My voice broke, but I composed myself and continued. "The best thing I could do for you all is leave and never come back."

"You have somewhere to go?" Jim asked.

I froze at the door. While getting rid of Eddie was a miracle, it also meant I was now homeless. Where would I go?

"You don't, do you?" The mother spoke up.

"I'll be fine," I said flatly.

"Now look here, we're not going to sit by and let a young girl live by herself on the street." The father said this gently, yet surely.

"First of all, I'm 23. I'm a legal adult. Second, I'm not going to impose myself on the nicest family I've ever met just because I'm too weak."

"It's not weakness to ask for help when you need it," Jim pointed out.

"Well, I don't need it."

I saw everyone flinch, and immediately regretted my choice of words.

"Look," I sighed. "Thank you for everything you did tonight. But I've messed you guys up enough. I don't want to see you go through what I've been through-you all seem so nice and great. It's really best if I leave now. So goodnight...and goodbye."

I turned around and opened the door.

"Wait!"

The voice was so quiet, I almost didn't hear it. I turned around, and the two parents were looking at the boy with slight shock on their faces. He was staring me dead in the face, looking pitiful, yet determined.

"You...you can't go." He said.

I walked over and knelt down to him. "Look, kid, I-"

"No!" He shouted, and I jumped back, as did his parents. "Don't talk to me like I don't know what's going on! Maybe I don't get everything, but I get enough! If you leave now, you won't have a home, or a family that loves you! You'll still be as sad as you are now! And...and someone might hurt you again."

All of a sudden, he hugged me, which completely threw me off.

"I don't ever want to see you get hurt like that again. No one should be hurt like that. Please don't go. Please!" He was sobbing-hard.

I was almost in tears myself. This kid had just met me, had been completely traumatized by my coming here-

And yet was crying over my lack of happiness.

I hugged him back, swallowing the tears as best I could. "That important to you, huh?" I tried to sound casual.

"Yes." He hugged me tighter, if that was possible.

I looked up at the parents, who were smiling at me, tears glistening in their own eyes.

I gave them a watery smile. "Well, I don't have much of a choice, then, do I?"

The boy pulled away. "You mean it?"

"I mean it," I smiled.

Another knock on the door. We all froze, the boy clinging to me.

"It's me, Officer Gusmano. Just need to drop somethin' off, is all."

We all breathed a sigh of relief as Jim opened the door.

The officer walked in, carrying a familiar-looking duffel bag. "This yours?" He looked at me.

"Yeah, that's my stuff!" I got up and took it. "Thank you so much."

"No problem at all. G'night." The officer tipped his hat as he walked out.

"Well, that solves the clothes problem," Jim remarked.

I was still unsure about this, but one look at the kid told me I couldn't leave if I wanted to.

"I'll get that ice." The mother rushed to the kitchen.

"Well, I guess we should all introduce ourselves!" I was shocked at how they could all be so peppy and happy after tonight. "I'm Jim Asperigi. My wife is Helen-"

"And I'm Junior!" The boy piped in.

Seemed like an odd name, but hey.

"And your name is Jenny?" Jim asked.

I stifled a groan. "No, it's Jenna."

"Nice to formerly meet you, Jenna," Helen walked in with a baggie filled with ice.

"Put this on your cheek-it should reduce the swelling."

I did as she said, and winced as it touched my skin.

"Oh, it stings at first, but it really helps," She assured me.

"Now, where to put you..." Jim thought.

"Ooo-ooo, can she stay in my room, please please pleeeeeease?" Junior begged.

Jim laughed. "If that's okay with Jenna."

I smiled at Junior. " Cool with me."

"Alright, then! We'll just move the bed from the guest room." Jim started up the stairs.

"I'll help," I followed him.

"Oh, don't be silly-"

"Come on, it's not like my leg's broken. I want to help."

Jim smiled, understanding what I really meant. "Okay, then."

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><p><strong>Aw. Well…not sure what else to say really. XD Catch ya next time!<strong>


	3. Bedtime

**Hey howdy hey! I'm super excited cause I GOT REVIEWS, SON! I constantly check my e-mail to see if anyone reviewed my stories, and it always makes my day when they do, especially on my new stories like this one. So thank you thank you THANK YOU! :D**

**And now we move on to a little tradition (Traditioooooon, tradition! Sorry, been listening to Fiddler all day) of mine, which is reviewer response!**

**Comment person: I like the name, first off. Simple, straightforward-good stuff. But on to the actual review XD I can't wait for everyone else to appear, either, but they won't for about another two chapters or so. Sad face. But you get to see more cute Junior in the meantime, so there ya go. And yeah, it's interesting to make them in my head, too. I mean, obviously they can't have green hair, so that's probably the most interesting aspect-what color is their hair? XD Also, I just realized you're also the person who wrote (or, I suppose is writing) Timely Love Stories, which is just about amazing. It's really helping me get the relationship between those two down, since I unfortunately haven't seen a lot of the episodes that they're together in. I've only seen Duke and Samson's Hairbrush, really, in terms of them being together and stuffs. I'm rambling as usual. Anyway, thank you for reviewing, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**magictoast15: Yay, you reviewed too! I wouldn't have cared if that was it-I would have been like, "*gasp* Someone reviewed! And they said it was good! Break out the sparkling apple juice!" And I think most authors would feel the same, so never be afraid to review! That was your Motivational Speech for the Day, I hope you enjoyed it, that'll be $10.99.**

…**Yeah, I'm strange, I know. Anywhoodle, I'm glad you like it! :D And I'll definitely have to check out your character-I'm interested in seeing what the similarities are, besides them both having J names. XD Who doesn't love Junior? Horrible people, that's who. Vegthro, huh? Yeah, that sounds familiar. You're right, though-it doesn't roll off the tongue easy. XD But if that's the term, I suppose I'll have to deal. You've read my Toy Story stuff? Sweetness! I hope you like this story as much as you liked those.**

**Oh no! a *****gasp***** CONVERSATION SCENE! *scary lightning* Well, I hope it's somewhat interesting regardless.**

**Enjoy!**

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><p>After I changed into my pajamas-an oversize grey t-shirt and blue pajama pants- and did all the bathroom things, I went back into Junior's room.<p>

He was bouncing up and down on his bed in excitement.

"This is gonna be so cool!" He was saying. "You can be like my big sister!"

Big sister, huh? I kinda liked that, actually.

"Sure, why not?" I smiled.

"Yay!" He cheered.

"Junior, quiet down in there. You're supposed to be going to sleep, remember?" We heard his dad call.

"Oops," Junior mumbled. Out loud he called, "Sorry, Dad, we'll go right to sleep!"

I smirked knowingly at him. "We're not going right to sleep, are we?"

"Nope!" Junior chirped, and I held back a laugh.

But I was reminded of a thought I'd been having since...the incident, and that wouldn't leave me alone.

"Hey, Junior?" I asked tentatively.

"Yeah?" He answered cheerfully.

I swallowed before continuing. "Look, are you sure you're okay? I mean, after all that stuff that just happened-that was a lot thrown at you really fast, and I know how scary Eddie can be, and...well...just, are you really okay?"

Junior thought for a moment. "Well, that guy was pretty scary..." He shuddered, and I felt a sharp pang of guilt. "And he used a lot of scary words-"

"Words that you are never, under any circumstances, allowed to repeat, by the way," I added in immediately.

"I know. But he's gone now, and he can't hurt anyone anymore. So I'm OK."

I looked at Junior scrutinizingly for a minute, but he seemed like he really meant it.

'_Strong kid,_' I thought, amazed.

"Can I ask you something, Jenna?"

"Sure, shoot," I said.

"Who exactly was Eddie, anyway?"

Didn't see that one coming. I chewed on my lip as I thought of how to explain this without telling him things he doesn't need to hear.

"Well..." I started. "Eddie was...my boyfriend."

"Nuh-uh." Junior was stunned.

"Yeah-huh." I said morbidly.

"Why did you like him?" He asked bluntly.

"Well, he wasn't always...y'know, like that. I met him at-" I snapped my mouth shut-I'd almost let it slip. "-uh, well, just...where I worked. And he was really sweet. We'd talk about everything, and I felt like he got me, you know?"

I didn't expect him to, but Junior nodded, listening attentively.

"So when he asked me to move in with him, I said yes."

"You lived with him?" The question was innocent, without the implication most people give to that term. I still felt I should clarify, though.

"Yes, but we had separate rooms, and he wasn't allowed in mine."

You could practically see the lightbulb turn on over his head. "Oh, like how I don't let girls in my room!"

I laughed. "Yeah, kinda." I sobered quickly. "That was the reason we started fighting, actually."

"He got mad that you wouldn't let him in your bedroom?"

I sighed. "That's one way to put it."

"So how come you didn't just let him in?" Junior asked.

I took a deep breath as I thought of how to explain this, and came up with nothing. "Junior, it's not something I could really explain. You just need to understand that if I had let him into my room, I would have betrayed myself and everything I believed in. Okay?"

"O-kay..." Junior looked utterly baffled. Thank God.

"Anyway, the fights got worse and worse, and Eddie's fists flew more and more." I winced as I remembered all those days of long sleeved shirts and sunglasses on cloudy summer days.

"So why didn't you leave the first time he hit you?" Junior asked desperately.

I looked at Junior. "I loved him, Jun. Or at least, I thought I did. And I convinced myself that I was the one doing something wrong."

"But that's crazy! That doesn't make any sense!"

I chuckled. "That's love for ya. So tonight, I finally woke up to all that, packed up everything, and tried to leave. Eddie wasn't too keen on that idea, and chased me down till I hid in your lawn. Your dad found me, dragged me into the house, and you know the rest."

Junior was silent for a moment.

"What, not the bedtime story you were expecting?" I commented wryly.

To my surprise, he laughed. "I was just thinking about how strong you are."

"Me?" I shook my head. "Were you listening? It took me more than a year to get the guts to run away from him."

"Yeah, but you did, and you stood up to him for me." He suddenly frowned. "All I did was hide behind my mom."

I turned Junior's shoulders so he was looking me straight in the eyes. "Now you listen to me, Junior. He was three times your size, and stupid to boot. You would have been crazy to try to fight him. Just the fact that you yelled at him to stop was really brave."

"You think so?" He brightened.

"Without a doubt," I smiled at him.

I flopped back down on my bed. "But hey, enough of this serious stuff. What kinda things are you into, Junior my man?"

"What am I...into?" Junior asked.

"Yeah. You know, what are you interested in? What do you do in your free time?"

"Oh!" He got it. "Uh, well, I like playing with my friends, I like soccer, I like being in my treehouse-"

"You have a treehouse?" I interrupted, desperate to lighten the tone even more.

"Uh-huh!" Junior nodded.

I pretended to sulk. "Lucky. Wish I had a treehouse."

"You can play in mine!" Junior suggested.

"Yeah?" I smiled.

He nodded.

"Sounds like a plan, Stan!"

Junior raised an eyebrow at me. "My name's Junior."

I laughed for about a good minute.

"It's just a saying. Y'know, cause it rhymes?" I explained after I caught my breath.

Junior still looked weirded out.

"Forget it," I shook my head. "Anything else you like to do?"

"Hmm..." He thought for a second, before he brightened and jumped up. "Oh yeah, I love working on VeggieTales!"

"What-tales?" I turned my whole body over to him.

"VeggieTales! It's this show I do with a bunch of my friends and my parents' friends!"

"Is it actually on TV?" At first, I thought he'd meant a pretend show he and his friends put on, but why would his parents' friends be in it, then?

"Well, kinda, but mostly they're on DVD. They're pretty popular."

"Are they? I'd never heard of them."

"A lot of religion and Sunday school teachers show them to their classes." He explained.

"Why?" This seemed like an odd audience to me.

"Because they're all about God and how awesome he is and they teach life lessons!" Junior smiled.

God. Now there's someone I hadn't thought of in a while.

"Is that so?" I asked, trying to relieve the uneasiness I felt.

"Yeah!" Junior was oblivious. "They teach people not to be scared and how to not be a bully and all sorts of stuff like that!"

"Sounds pretty cool," I smiled.

"Hey!" There was that lightbulb again. "We should watch them tomorrow!"

I nodded. "Alright." Suddenly I smirked. "Sounds like a plan-"

"I'm not Stan!" Junior insisted firmly.

We both laughed.

"We should probably get to sleep," I said after I'd calmed down.

"Yeah, you're right." He started to crawl out of bed.

"Uh...you gonna sleep on the floor or something?" I was confused.

"No!" He giggled. "What are you talking about?"

"Why are you getting out of bed?" I asked.

"I'm praying, silly! You have to pray before you go to bed, right?" He explained as he knelt down.

"Oh. Uh, right. 'Course." I slowly got out of bed and knelt down too, feeling awkward.

Junior closed his eyes and appeared to be concentrating very hard.

I closed my eyes, too, but didn't pray, exactly-I'd kinda forgotten how, to be honest. I mostly just thought about what a rollercoaster of a day this had been and how lucky I was to be alive, much less staying with wonderful people.

I kept one eye slightly open, and waited for Junior to finish before I did a quick sign of the cross and got back in bed.

"Well, g'night," I smiled at Junior.

"Night!" He beamed, before rolling over and almost immediately falling asleep.

I, on the other hand, lay in bed awake for a while. I seriously considered slipping out the window and into the night. It wasn't just because I still thought they'd be better off without me, which was true, but also because I just felt...uncomfortable.

I had never known this kind of family atmosphere. I had never known my parents, and my aunt wasn't the best guardian in the world. Not the worst, but certainly not the best. To be in this kind of warm, loving household made me antsy, not to mention green with jealousy.

And it was weird suddenly being dubbed a big sister. I had always been the little sister to...

Her.

I sighed. After all these years, I still couldn't allow myself to say or even think of her name.

I shook my head. Now wasn't the time.

There was no way I could leave-I could practically see poor Junior's face when he saw I was gone.

No. I had no choice but to stay.

With that, I rolled over and fell into a somewhat peaceful sleep.

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><p><strong>Backstory! Always a good time. Although that's not ne-HEARLY all of her story, so don't be all, "Aw, now there's no surprise." <strong>

**Next two chapters are kiiiiiiiinda filler-*barely dodges the javelins of readers* I'm sorry! I couldn't help it! **

**So yeah, tune in next time for disappointment! **


	4. New Beginnings

**Why hello there.**

**This chapter and the next are not terribly exciting. Just a warning-no explosions or dramatic happenings to be had here. Life's starting to get back to normal for these guys, so..yeah.**

**Reviewer response yay time!**

**magictoast15: I hear ya, honey-the money thing only gets worse in college. But hey, you're helping me, anyway! :D Junior is quite huggable, isn't he? I'm super gald you like it so much! :) Especially considering we haven't gotten to my favorite part, which is where we actually meet everybody! I saw Jessie, and she seems like a cool character! You're definitely right about them being similar but different-that's really the only way to put it. XD Yeah, I didn't know it was even a thing-I just did it because it was the only way this particular story could really work. I did end up looking up Vegthro stuff, and I was amazed how many people saw the characters the same way I do as humans! Great minds think alike, I suppose. Although I do disagree on most people's interpretation of Bob, but I'll talk more about that when we get to it. Anyway, I hope you like this chapter!**

**If I could make a comment that will make no sense now but will in about the middle of the chapter-the numbers are just guesstimations. I didn't go through and count how many times this or that happened-I just ran through them in my head and wrote down estimates. So don't judge me on that. Also, you're not supposed to get the last line yet, so don't worry your pretty little noggins over it.**

**Enjoy!**

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><p>"Mmm," I groaned as I woke up.<p>

My eyes snapped open at my unfamiliar surroundings, before I remembered.

'_Right,_' I calmed down.

I was so used to waking up in fear of Eddie's mood that day, that it was actually a little weird to wake up feeling...peaceful.

The door opened then, revealing Junior still in his pajamas.

"Hey, Jenna, you're awake!" Junior beamed. "Mom's makin' pancakes downstairs-hurry up!"

And just like that, he was gone.

A home-cooked meal, too. I'd forgotten what it was like to not eat out of a microwave or take-out box.

'_Well, from the looks of Junior, I probably don't have to get dressed,_' I thought as I slowly rolled out of bed.

Walking downstairs, I noticed how nice the house was. It really did look like it was out of those home and garden magazines. I heard sizzling noises and voices coming from a hallway to the right, so I walked in that direction.

When I opened the door, Junior was telling his mom some sort of story while she stacked pancakes on a plate. His dad was reading the paper and drinking some coffee. Both of the adults were dressed, which made me feel a little awkward. They all looked up when I walked in, which made me feel put on the spot.

"Yay! You're up, you're up!" Junior literally dragged me to the table.

"Easy, son, don't break her," His dad laughed.

I sat down next to Junior, and he started bouncing in his seat. "You have to hear about my dream last night! I was on this awesome rocket ship-"

"How many pancakes would you like, dear?" His mom interrupted.

"Uh…" I was overloaded with information. "Um, two?"

She plopped them down on my plate. They smelled amazing, and I quickly doused them with syrup.

Junior was still going.

"And then there was this HUGE purple alien and he was like "State your purpose" and I was like "I'm here to save the Ice Cream Kingdom" and he was like "You'll never defeat me, you don't know my weakness" and I was like "Oh yeah?" and then I shot him right in the mouth with my slushee gun like _PEW PEW PEW_ and he was like "NOOO I'M ALLERGIC TO STRAWBERRIES!" and then I went-"

He was doing all these voices and huge arm gestures, and I couldn't help smiling. '_Maybe I could get used to this,_' I thought as I practically inhaled my pancakes.

"Well, Junior, we have to go to work," Junior's dad stood up when Junior's story was done.

"Oh, on the secret script?" His eyes lit up.

His mom chuckled. "Yes, sweetie, on the secret script. Jenna, you're in charge."

Junior's eyes widened. "You mean I'm not going to stay with Mrs. Trojan?"

"I don't see why you should have to, now that Jenna's here," His dad shrugged.

I wasn't prepared for the insanely tight hug-I almost fell out of my chair.

"Jenna, you're the best person I've ever met!" Junior exclaimed.

"Uh, thanks?" I patted his back awkwardly.

"We'll see you kids later, alright?" With that, the two were out the door.

"Secret script?" I turned to Junior.

"Yeah! All the adults are writing a supercool new script that Bob doesn't know about!" Junior grinned.

"Bob?"

"He's in charge of that stuff. He's supposed to know about scripts being written and stuff but he doesn't know about this one so it's a secret script!" How he got that whole sentence out in one breath was beyond me.

"Huh." I thought Bob was just pretending to be in charge of stuff on the show. I didn't know he actually was.

"I don't have to go to Mrs. Trojan's house! I may never need a babysitter again!" Junior jumped up and down.

"Are you always like this, or did you have caffeine?" I asked.

"Dad only let me try a little bit of coffee. I think he said something like "never again" earlier though." Junior nodded.

"Mm," I nodded. "So who's Mrs. Trojan?"

"She's our neighbor. I used to have to stay with her whenever Mom and Dad had to go out or when I didn't need to be there for an shoot, and she's so boring! All she does is tell me "little boys should be quiet and still" and she has a bunch of mean cats. But now I don't need to stay with her, cause you're here!" He hugged me again.

I chuckled. "Here to help. So whatcha wanna do?"

"Oh! You still haven't seen any VeggieTales! We'll watch them all!" Junior jumped towards what I assumed was the living room.

"That crash is gonna be awful," I shook my head.

I walked in and sat on the couch while Junior got a whole stack of DVD's out.

"Why are they called VeggieTales, anyway?" I asked as I inspected a DVD with a close-up of Junior's face. He looked terrified, and there was a TV behind him showing a freaky monster.

"Cause the stories are wholesome. That's what my dad says." Junior shrugged.

"Ah. Clever." I put it back down.

Junior walked over and pulled a notebook and a crayon out of a nearby desk.

"What's that for?" I nodded towards his writing utensils.

"I'm gonna take notes!" He said, as if it were obvious.

"On…what?"

"How ya feel when ya watch it and stuff."

I gave him a look, then shrugged. "Whatever floats your boat, I guess."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Junior's Notes (by Junior)<strong>_

**Number of times Jenna said something about how adorable I am-47**

**Number of times Jenna rolled her eyes-3**

**Number of times Jenna cried-0**

**Number of times Jenna got a really big piece of dust stuck in her eyes and a virus that makes you sniffle-9**

**Number of times Jenna laughed or smiled-I lost track**

**Number of times Jenna looked uncomfortable-1**

**Did not like King George and the Ducky-wouldn't tell me why: "I just didn't really like it, okay? Don't write that down!"**

**Favorite stories-Snoodlerella, Rack, Shack, And Benny, It's a Meaningful Life**

**What she thought of the people**

**Larry-goofy, funny**

**Bob-uptight, "fun to laugh at"**

**Archibald- "He's British, so that's cool", funny**

**Madame Blueberry- "classy", liked her**

**Jimmy and Jerry-really funny**

**Mr. Lunt-hilarious**

**Pa Grape-also hilarious**

**Mr. Nezzer-"I like him, he seems like he's actually a really nice guy. A little scary when he's mad, though."**

**French Peas-a little annoying, but still fun**

**Petunia-"seems like a genuine, sweet person", asked if Petunia and Larry were actually "going out". Laughed when I asked what that meant.**

**Scallions-liked them, "they work well together"**

* * *

><p>"What about me and my parents?" Junior asked.<p>

"Your parents are really good actors, and you're just adorable," I smiled.

He added another tick mark somewhere.

"You should come visit the studio sometime-I could show you around and stuff!" He beamed.

"Oh, I don't know about that…" I rubbed my elbow. Would I really get along with a bunch of Christian actors?

"C'mon it'll…" Junior suddenly yawned but tried to hide it. "it'll be…" He let out a huge yawn. "it'll be fun…"

I smiled. "Nap time?"

"No, I'm wide awake…" He said as his eyes drooped.

"Come on, you." I led him up the stairs.

"I'm not usually this tired," Junior yawned.

"You're probably coming down off the caffeine from the coffee," I told him.

"Caffeine?"

"It's the stuff in coffee that makes you so energetic, but it wears off eventually."

"Oh. Okay."

I led him into the room. "See ya when you wake up, 'kay?"

" 'Kay."

I smiled, and shut the door, making my way back down to the living room.

I looked at all the DVD's, with their colorful covers. I plopped down on the couch. After a minute, I picked up the case for It's a Meaningful Life.

I took a deep breath, trying not to cry. "Where were you when I needed you?" I managed a whisper.

* * *

><p><strong>So that's that! Next chapter's gonna be REALLY short and REALLY filler, so be warned.<strong>

**Actually, you know what? I just had this idea-I'm gonna post this one and the next one together, like right now, since they're both kinda connected, anyway. Also I'd feel bad posting the next chapter all by its lonesome-you guys would feel ripped off, trust me. So yeah, I'm gonna do that! Split second decisions FTW.**

**So see you in the next few minutes, then! XD**


	5. A Proposal

**Long time no see, readers! XD**

**I should point out that I seriously didn't realize that Junior and Jenna's names started with the same letter until I wrote the first sentence of this chapter. Yes, I'm that slow. XD But anyway, this one's super short and filler-ish, but oh well.**

**Also this one's in third-person point-of-view. Those who have read a lot of my stories know that I switch points of view a lot, and now it begins anew. *foreboding organ music***

**Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>"Junior! Jenna! We're home!" Helen called out, the last rays of the setting sun pouring into the house as she opened the door.<p>

"Hey, Mom and Dad! We're in here!" Junior called from the living room. The two could faintly hear music.

They walked in to see Jenna walking towards the stereo and turning it off, with Junior waiting in the middle of the room. All of the furniture had been pushed to the side.

"What have you two been doing?" Jim asked.

""We had a dance party!" Junior smiled.

"A dance party, huh?" Jim laughed, looking at Jenna.

"Yeah," Jenna was rubbing the back of her neck awkwardly. "I don't know, it was just something I thought up."

"It was fun! Way more fun than Mrs. Trojan," Junior made a "blech" face.

"Now Junior, Mrs. Trojan's a perfectly nice lady," Helen gently scolded him.

"I know. But Jenna's way more fun!" Junior smiled at Jenna, who smiled back.

"Well, she can be your official babysitter if she wants. That okay with you, Jenna?" Jim looked to her.

"Sure, I'm up for it," She grinned.

"Yay!" Junior rejoiced, and they all laughed.

"Hold on a sec, I need to put my iPod back upstairs." With that, Jenna left the room.

"Let's move this stuff back where it was, huh?" Jim rubbed his hands together.

"Okay." Junior dragged the desk chair back where it was.

"What else did you guys do today?" Helen asked as she picked up the floor lamp.

"We watched all of the VeggieTales episodes, cause Jenna had never seen them before." He explained.

"Oh, how did she like them?" Helen smiled.

"She loved 'em! Except for King George and the Ducky, she said she didn't like that one. I dunno why, though." Junior shrugged.

"Well, different strokes for different folks, I suppose." Jim shrugged as he moved the desk.

"Hey Mom, Dad?" Junior asked.

"Yes, Junior?" Helen and Jim started to move the couch closer to its original position.

"Can Jenna visit the studio sometime? Like, maybe tomorrow?" Junior hesitated.

Helen and Jim looked at each other. "Well…" Jim started, looking apprehensive. "Okay, but you'll have to give her the tour first before introducing her to everyone-tomorrow's when we're springing the script on Bob, and that wouldn't be the greatest first impression."

"You got it, Dad! You won't even know we're there!" He proclaimed proudly.

* * *

><p><strong>So there's your two servings of this story for the day! Next chapter's the one we've all been waiting for, and that includes me-the chapter where we finally get to see everyone! I can't wait, personally.<strong>

**See ya then! :D**


	6. Changes

**Waddup, dawgs! So this is it-the chapter you've all been waiting for, and the one I've been waiting to post. The one where we get to meet everyone! *holds up Applause sign* I would have had this up sooner, but the internet here decided it didn't approve of my uploading this chapter, or doing anything else on the internet for that matter. Bad timing, but what can ya do. In fact, at the moment I'm writing this, it's still not working, so if you're not me and you're reading this, it means I won! Eventually. So you're all looking into the past! Exciting stuff.**

**This also means I have to look through my archived mail to answer the reviewer responses, but that is the price I shall pay!**

**KingofJesters: Hey, I remember you from Over the Rainbow! Nice to see you here! :D Yeah, they have a section for everything here. If they don't have what you're looking for, that means you're SUPER hip. :) I can't really take credit for the idea of making the Veggies human, as that is a pre-established thing. I didn't know about it when I came up with this, but that's beside the point. I can't wait to introduce them to you! Let's not keep ourselves waiting, eh? ;)**

**Comment person: Me neither-and now we don't have to! Huzzah!**

***does happy dance* YAY! LET'S GO!**

**Enjoy! :D**

* * *

><p>"Come on!" Junior pulled my hand.<p>

"Jun, I really don't know about this," I protested for about the seventh time.

I stared up at the building . It looked friendly enough-it wasn't a skyscraper or anything, just a normal looking, medium sized building with the words "Big Idea" in metal letters on the front of it-but I was more uneasy about what, or rather who, was _inside_ the building. I mean, these people were actors. They were outgoing, funny, and good with people. I was…not. It would just be so awkward.

"Come on, you want to see all those sets, dontcha? And all the cool props? Come on, pleeeeease?" Junior gave me a puppy dog look.

Curse his cuteness. "Fine."

"Great!" He walked through the revolving door, dragging me with him.

Right in front of us was a desk with an older woman who seemed very nice behind it.

"Hi, Kathy," Junior chirped.

"Why, hello, Junior! Who's your friend?" She smiled warmly at both of us.

"This is Jenna!" He pushed me forward.

"Well, it's certainly nice to meet you, Jenna," Kathy smiled again.

"Likewise," I tried to smile back without looking like a psychopath. God, I couldn't even act normal around probably the least intimidating person here.

"I'm going to show her around and stuff, is that okay?" Junior asked.

"Of course it is, Junior. You two have fun!" She called as he pulled me away.

"This is where we film the opening parts. We all call it the Countertop cause it's all tile. It was like this when we first came here, and they decided not to change it." Junior explained.

"It does kind of look like a kitchen countertop," I laughed. " So where are the props and sets and stuff?"

Suddenly, Junior got a mischievous look on his face. "We _could_ look at those. Or…"

"Or?" I smirked.

"They're showing the secret script to Bob today. He's gonna flip out. It'll be really fun to watch. Wanna?" Junior grinned from ear-to-ear.

"Do I ever! Where's the meeting?" It was fun enough watching Bob fake-flip-out on a screen, but watching him actually flip out right before my eyes? This I had to see.

"I think I know-follow me!"

And with that, we dashed off.

* * *

><p>Bob sighed as he walked to the board room. Larry, of all people, had called a meeting of everyone in the cast. He didn't know what was going on. All he knew for sure was that he probably wouldn't like it.<p>

He walked in, and was a little shocked to see everyone was already there.

"Uh…wasn't the meeting at 1?" He asked hesitantly.

Instead of answering him, everyone turned to Larry, who was at the head of the long table.

"Larry?" Bob asked slowly. "What's going on?"

Larry sighed. "Bob, we've been thinking-"

"Oh boy…" He rolled his eyes.

"And we're sick of constantly being typecast."

Everyone else made noises of agreement.

"What? What do you mean?" Bob tried.

"Oh, don't even!" Mr. Lunt scoffed. " I don't see anyone else playing the villain's assistant all the time!"

"At least you get to be the villain sometimes!" One of the skinny, slick-haired brothers, nicknamed "The Scallions", countered. "We rarely have more than two lines!"

"And why am I always the uptight smart fellow?" Archibald chimed in.

"I'm always the motherly helper with an attitude," Madame Blueberry added.

"And I'm always the naïve villain who turns good at the end," Mr. Nezzer pointed out.

"We're always just comic relief," Jimmy complained, and Jerry nodded in agreement.

"Same here," Jean-Claude and Philippe raised their hands.

"I'm always the cranky wise man," Pa Grape groaned.

"And I'm always the love interest!" Petunia suddenly turned back to Larry, who looked a little hurt. "Oh nonono, Larry, it's not that I don't like working with you!" She corrected desperately. He smiled again, relieved. Feeling better, she turned back to Bob. "But come on. A romance between us in practically every episode? Don't you think people are getting sick of that?"

"And I'm always the hero!" Larry moaned.

"You're complaining about that?' Bob raised an eyebrow.

"And you! When was the last time you were the main character?" Larry gave him a hard look.

"Well…ah…there, um…" Bob floundered. "Star of Christmas?"

"One, we were both the main characters in that one. And two, that was a long time ago." He crossed his arms, looking smug.

Bob sighed. "Okay, fine. I'm sorry for typecasting you all-I didn't mean it. The next time I write a script, I'll be sure to-"

"Already done." Larry grinned.

"…What's already done?" He didn't like the sound of this.

Larry suddenly produced a stack of papers seemingly from nowhere. It looked suspiciously like…

"The newest VeggieTales script!" He proclaimed proudly.

"_**WHAT?**_" Everyone except Larry jumped a little at this outburst. "You wrote an entire script without consulting me first?"

"Surprise!" Larry smiled.

"I can't believe this. You have to get my approval on scripts before you write them!" Bob shook his head angrily.

"If we had just outright told you about the typecasting thing, you wouldn't have changed it." Larry pointed out.

"Yes I would have!" He countered.

Larry just gave him a look.

"Let me see that." Bob demanded.

He slid it across the table. "Don't bother ripping it up-I brought at least five extra copies, and it's backed up on three flash drives as well as my home computer and laptop."

Bob would be lying if he said he hadn't actually considered these things. Why did Larry have to know him so well?

He looked at the title, and immediately smiled. "Cinderella? We already did something like that-"

"The title's still a work in progress,' Larry answered. "It'll be mostly based on Cinderella, but it has a completely different message than Snoodlerella."

Bob looked below the title, hoping to see something similar, but he was right-it was a lesson in being proactive. That was actually good.

Next, he looked at the cast list. Everyone was jumbled up from their usual characters, but the parts still fit. Except for one.

Bob smiled somewhat sinisterly as he looked up. From the nervous look on Larry's face, he knew he had him.

"Who's gonna play Cinderella, Larry?" Bob asked in a fake innocent voice.

"Yeah…that's the only problem." He looked down at his shoes.

"Only problem? You don't have anyone to play the main character!" Bob shook his head, calming down a little. This plan wasn't going to go through, after all.

"We could have a casting call-"

"No time-we have to have a new episode in production in two weeks."

"Well...I'm sure we can figure it out," Larry looked to the others for help.

"Yeah, sure we can," Petunia nodded.

"Oh, please, guys!" Mr. Lunt said. "Bob is right. I mean, what did you think, that the perfect female lead would just walk in here one day?" He pointed at the door.

"_**AAAAAAA-CHOO!**_"

Everyone jumped.

"What was that?" Mr. Nezzer looked around.

Jim sighed. "I think I know."

He quickly walked towards the door and opened it. They heard two sets of feet running as if for their lives.

"Stop right there, you two." The statement was casual, but he made his voice carry so they could hear. The footsteps stopped.

"Get in here."

Everyone looked at each other-who was he talking to?

Junior stepped in, looking sheepish. "Sorry, Dad. It was my idea."

"You shouldn't have disobeyed me." Jim said sternly, and Junior looked down. "But…no harm done, I guess." He gave Junior a one-armed hug.

"Thanks, Dad." Junior smiled.

Jim looked out the door again. "You too, Jenna. Say hi to everyone."

They heard a very small voice say something.

Jim laughed. "Yes, you have to. Come on, they don't bite."

There was a moment of anticipation, and then she walked in.

* * *

><p><strong>Ooo, suspenseful! Sorry if the POV change confused you-I do that a lot in my stories. Usually I put a "So-and-so's P.O.V." at the top, but "Third-person-except-it's Bob's P.O.V" doesn't roll off the tongue easy, now does it? XD<strong>

**There's gonna be one more chapter after this one, and then the pilot will be done! Don't worry-there's plenty, PLENTY more of these stories to come. So many that not only do I not know how many, it makes me dizzy trying to even contemplate how many. *faints* So that's good news for you guys, anyway!**

**And now, I sit and wait for the Internet to work so I can actually upload this bad boy! See you all in the last chapter!**


	7. Title Drop

**Buon giorno, Principessa! Lol obscure references. Sorry about the late update-Internet troubles again. Anyway, THE LAST CHAPTER OF THE PILOT! I'm excited. I had a lot of fun with the names, as I am a language freak. You'll only see how delightfully unoriginal I am if you type some of the stranger-sounding names into Google Translate or the like. XD**

**KingofJesters: I'm glad you like them all! I like them too. :) Thank you for the praise! Wait no longer, Your Majesty! Get it, cause your name is…yeah, I'm done.**

**Xanlise: Yeah, there's gonna be no more of that nonsense if I can help it. It was an odd concept when it popped into my head as well. XD Definitely took some getting used to, which is why I haven't published it until now. XD I hope you like this last chapter!**

**This is what it's all been leading up to, folks. Let's get to it!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>Everyone was staring at me. It was the most uncomfortable and awkward moment of my life. Nobody said anything for a while, and I started pulling on my light brown hair.<p>

A guy who looked both Italian and Hispanic with a mustache and a gold tooth was the first to speak up-that was Mr. Lunt, right? He looked at his pointer finger for a moment, then whispered, "I swear to use this power for good."

"What?" The redhead who could only be Bob spoke up.

"Hey, Jenna, you wanna be in a VeggieTales video?" Larry smiled.

"Wh-what?" I squeaked. Were they serious?

"Guys, guys, you're scaring her," The woman with the red braid stood up and walked over to me. "Sorry, they're jumping the gun a little. I'm Petunia." She shook my hand, then turned to the table. "Everyone, introduce yourselves."

"I'm Larry!" The guy with the tousled blonde hair and big, toothy grin waved. "Nice to meetcha!"

"My name is Archibald." Like I couldn't tell from the monocle-I didn't know he actually wore that in real life.

"I am Genevieve Myrtille. Very nice to meet you, mademoiselle." She was dressed in the highest fashion with a white sundress, blue stilettos, perfect makeup, and huge black sunhat, and her blonde hair was styled in perfect waves.

"I'm Jimmy," The rotund man with the mop of bright orange hair waved.

"And I'm Jerry," Replied the man next to him. He looked just like his brother, except with blonde hair.

"Nebby K. Nezzer, at your service," The big, burly guy nodded with a smile you wouldn't expect from a guy like him.

"I'm Mr. Lunt." The man who had spoken earlier grinned, revealing his gold tooth again.

"My name's Jethro Traube, but everyone calls me Pa," The kindly old man with the glasses nodded.

"We're Jedan-"

"Ket-"

"And Tribus!" The three guys with the slicked-back hair all announced.

"I am Jean-Claude," A smartly dressed man with long blonde hair made a sweeping bow.

"And I am Phillipe," A man who looked just like him made the same sweeping bow. I made a mental note that Jean-Claude was the one with the deeper voice.

The man of the hour turned to me, looking none too pleased. "Bob." He said flatly, taking one arm out from its crossed state to make a dismissing hand gesture that vaguely resembled a wave. "Now, guys, you can't honestly think that-"

"Have you had any acting experience before, Jenna?" Petunia cut him off.

"Uh…no." I answered quietly.

"See? She has no experience, how can she be the main character?" Bob jumped on my statement.

"So? Neither did Junior, and he's one of the fan favorites!" Larry argued. Junior smiled sheepishly at this.

"Well…but she has songs, too, right?" Bob tried.

"I don't really have singing experience, either." I looked at the floor.

"See?" Bob nodded at the group.

"Bob, stop it! Can't you see she's nervous enough already?" Petunia scolded him.

Bob opened his mouth to say something, then shut it. I just looked to the floor.

"Come with me," Petunia motioned towards the door. "Archibald, you too."

Something about her voice told me she meant business, so I went with her, Archibald following close behind.

* * *

><p>We walked down a long hallway and finally into a room stacked high with boxes. They all had labels like "Tubas", "Accoridans (Small)", "Accordians (Extra Large)", "Trumpets", and "Saxophones". In one corner of the room, there was a huge piano.<p>

"Archibald, if you would." Petunia motioned to the bench.

"Ah, I see!" Archibald sat down at the piano.

"Now Jenna, don't be nervous. We're not recording this or anything. I just want to hear you sing, okay?"

"Okay…" How could I not be nervous? I'd never sung seriously in my life!

"Now, think of a song you know really well." Petunia instructed.

I thought for a moment. My best bet was probably Disney songs, but which one?

"Uh, how about Go the Distance?" I suggested.

"Perfect! You know that one, Archibald?"

"That I do." He nodded. "What key?"

Petunia looked to me, and I panicked. "I-I don't know. The…same one as in the movie? I guess?"

Archibald nodded, and began to play.

I was shaking all over. '_Just get it over with,_' I told myself.

"**_I have often dreamed_**

**_Of a far off place_**

**_Where a great, warm welcome will be waiting for me_**"

For the first time, I understood what Hercules was saying, what he was going through. I started to sing the tiniest bit stronger.

"**_Where the crowds will cheer_**

**_When they see my face_**

**_And a voice keeps saying_**

**"_This is where I'm meant to be"!_**

**_I will find my way_**

**_I can go the distance_**

**_I'll be there someday_**

**_If I can be strong_**

**_I know every mile_**

**_Will be worth my while_**

**_I would go most anywhere to feel like I_**

_**Belong**._"

I exhaled deeply-it was finally over.

Petunia just smiled. "Archibald, come with me. Jenna, just stay here, we'll come grab you in a second, okay?"

"O-kay…" I nodded. What the hell did that mean?

As they left, I just sat at the piano, pushing random keys in an effort to give my nervous energy an outlet. They weren't seriously considering putting me in the cast of VeggieTales, were they? I'd never done this before! Add in the fact that I'm still unsure about my faith, and this would be the most disastrous casting choice ever!

I resisted an urge to plunk my head down on the keys. '_Please, don't let them make the wrong decision._'

* * *

><p>Everyone waited in the board room.<p>

"What is she doing?" Bob asked for the third time.

"We don't know!" Everyone answered this time instead of just Larry.

Finally, Petunia and Archibald walked in. Jenna was nowhere to be seen.

"Oh, did you send her out?" Bob felt relief wash through him.

"No!" Petunia crossed her arms. "I gave her a little voice audition."

"You what?" Bob's jaw dropped.

"How did she do?" Mr. Nezzer asked.

Archibald and Petunia looked at each other.

"Well, her voice certainly is in desperate need of training-" Archie started.

"Oh, too bad-"

"But!" Petunia cut Bob off, sending him a glare for good measure. "She is very naturally skilled at telegraphing emotion through her voice, which we all know is far more important than voice quality."

"So that means…" Larry looked at her hopefully.

Petunia nodded. "She could be our Cinderella."

The group cheered and whooped with joy.

"Now hold on a second!" Bob shouted.

The room was silent.

"We can't just cast some random person, especially as a main character! This woman has no acting experience, no singing experience, and can barely look anyone in the eye! How is she supposed to act convincingly in front of a camera? She hardly gives off any air of a princess, what with her constantly talking in "um"s and ""uh"s-you can barely hear what she's saying! And…and her hair! Her hair is such a bland color and texture-"

"Robert Pomodoro, you stop that this instant!"

All the faces in the room turned in shock to Jim, who looked very angry. Bob shrunk a little both at Jim's never-before-seen rage and hearing his full name in who-knows-how-many years.

"If you don't like the idea of this script, fine. But don't take it out on Jenna, especially when she's not here to defend herself!" Jim got up and advanced on Bob, who backed up against a wall. "God has sent us a way to make this script work. If you want to complain, go to Him. I can tell you this-He certainly wouldn't approve of you tearing apart a young woman just because you didn't get your way. Jenna is a part of my family, and is soon to be a part of all of our families, and families treat each other with nothing but respect and kindness. You'd do well to remember that, Bob. I won't stand for this kind of behavior, especially from my boss."

It took a minute for Bob to find his voice again. "I…" He sighed. "I'm sorry." His voice was barely over a whisper. "You're right. I'm really sorry."

He sat down, looking down at the table in shame. Jim was right-this woman hadn't done anything, and he had said some awful things about her. He felt terrible. Thank goodness she wasn't here to hear that. Still, he'd apologize to her the first chance he got.

There was a bit of an awkward silence for a minute.

"So…has she got the job?" Mr. Lunt finally turned to Larry.

"That's not my call," Larry nodded at Bob.

Bob thought for a moment. Cinderella was supposed to be kind of quiet anyway, right? This could work.

He nodded. "Yeah. She's got the job."

"Yes!" Junior jumped in the air as everyone else made jubilant noises.

"I'll go tell her," Petunia turned towards the door.

"No, I will."

Everyone raised an eyebrow at Bob.

"It's…the least I can do." He looked to Jim for approval, who smiled and nodded.

"She's in the instrument room." Archibald mentioned.

"Right."

With that, Bob left the room.

* * *

><p>I kept sliding my hand along the keyboard in an effort to entertain myself and provide an outlet for my jumbled, far-too-active nerves.<p>

'_What is taking so long? Can't they just kick me out already?_' I wondered in my head.

Suddenly, I heard someone clear their throat.

I snapped my head up and saw Bob, looking a bit awkward.

"Oh, hey, Bob," I gave him a small wave.

He looked a bit shocked. "You remembered?"

"Well, yeah. I mean, Junior showed me all the VeggieTales videos and everything, so…" I ended the sentence early, playing with my hair in nervousness.

He walked over and sat down next to me. "Look, Jenna, I-"

"You remembered?" Now it was my turn to be shocked.

"How could I not, after-" He stopped suddenly. "Well, that's not important. I-"

He sighed, then looked right at me. "I wanted to apologize. I wasn't really that nice to you when you came in, and I'm sorry."

"Oh, no, don't worry, it's ok-"

"No!"

I jumped, and he took a breath. "Sorry. No, it's not okay. While you were in here, I…I said some things about you that weren't nice at all. It wasn't because of anything you did, I was just being a big baby because things weren't going my way, and I directed that anger at you. That was completely uncalled for, and I'm sorry. I hope you can forgive me."

I blinked. "Whoa. Bonus points for honesty."

He laughed a little at that, which made me laugh a little, and that calmed us both down.

"Don't worry, I forgive you," I smiled at him.

He smiled back, then turned more towards me. "Well, the real reason I came in here was to give you some good news."

Uh-oh.

"Jenna…you got the job."

I just stared at him, mouth open like a codfish, for a good minute.

"What?" I finally spluttered. "No! No, no, no, I can't, I…don't have the experience, I've never been on TV, what-!"

"Hey, hey," Bob waved his hands, trying (I guess) to calm me down. "It's okay, just calm-"

"Hey, Bob?"

We both turned to see the two Asperigi parents in the doorway.

"We'll handle this." Helen smiled.

Bob nodded, gave me one last awkward smile, then left.

"You knew this was gonna happen?" I asked.

"If you mean being cast in the VeggieTales, not a chance. If you mean freaking out at the notion of being cast in the VeggieTales, we had a feeling," Helen smiled as the two walked towards me.

"Guys, I…I mean, I'm flattered that you think I'm good enough for this, but I just don't think I am. I really don't think I can do this."

"Maybe you don't. But you know who does?" Jim asked.

"Who?" I had a feeling they would say them or everyone else back in the room.

"God."

I whipped my head around. "What? How do you know that?"

"Because if he didn't, he wouldn't have given you this opportunity in the first place," Helen pointed out.

I looked down. Yeah, but what if God didn't exist? What did that mean then? It just meant it was a bad decision I was about to make.

And yet…I just couldn't shake the feeling that I should go through with this. It was crazy, stupid, and unthinkable, but there it was.

"And you won't be alone, remember. We're all here for you." Jim put a hand on my shoulder.

That helped a lot.

"Well…" I took a deep breath. "I'll give it a shot."

The two both gave me a hug, which took me by surprise. Before I could even respond, they pulled away.

"Come on. Let's go tell everyone."

* * *

><p>I was not expecting applause when I walked into the boardroom.<p>

"Welcome to the Veggie family, Jenna!" Larry put a friendly arm around me and shook my shoulder.

I chuckled. "Thanks, Larry."

"This is gonna be so awesome! Now we can hang out all the time!" Junior grinned.

"True that, Junior my man." I ruffled his hair, and he pushed my hand away playfully.

"Oh, it will be so nice to have another girl on the set," Madame Blueberry gushed.

"I smell a sleepover party!" Petunia sing-songed, grinning.

"Aren't you guys getting a little ahead of yourselves?" Bob laughed. "We still don't have a title for this story."

"See, that's the other awesome thing about Jenna," Larry walked back to the head of the table. "She also gave me the title."

"She did?" Bob turned to her.

"I did?" I raised an eyebrow at him. I don't remember this.

"At first, I thought of "Jennarella", right? It's got a great ring to it. But the thing is, it does sound too much like Snoodlerella. So instead I came up with-drum roll please-"

Everyone except me (I wasn't close enough to the table) and Bob (he just didn't want to) did a drum roll on the table.

"Cinder-Jenna! Eh? Eh?" Larry looked for approval.

"I like it!" Petunia spoke up immediately.

"It's got panache!" Pa agreed.

"What about you, Jenna?" Archie asked.

I shifted a little. "Well, it's definitely a little surreal that it's being named after me but…I like it." I smiled.

"Then it's settled! Our new show will be Cinder-Jenna!" Larry announced. "Everyone line up for your scripts!"

"Wait a minute-I thought you only brought five," Bob spoke up.

Larry smirked. "That's what I wanted you to think."

Bob just rolled his eyes.

As I got my script, I still felt like I wasn't ready. But with everyone believing in me, I knew I would make it through. A new chapter of my life was starting, and I couldn't wait to read it.

* * *

><p><strong>And there's the title! Yeah, my people who have been reading me for a while know by now that my titles aren't terribly creative. Eh, what can ya do.<strong>

**So the next story will be up in a medium amount of time, is the only way I can think to describe it. See, I'm not done with the first draft of it yet, plus I'm working on another story, so I can't say it'll be up soon. But I'm almost done with it, about three-quarters, I'd say, so it's not going to take a terribly long time either. So, medium. Yeah.**

**Well, I suppose I'll see you lot in the next story! Till next time! :D**


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